Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Dueling Jerk Chickens

I could have been floating in the air towards JRS&A Original Jerk Center on Fulton Street in Bed Stuy once I caught the charcoal scent of jerk chicken rising from their street-side smoker, enveloping me from over a block away.

Inside the narrow restaurant is your typical combination of Caribbean mains and sides. I got a small jerk chicken over rice and beans. They'll offer to put gravy on your rice-- and you would be stupid to say no. I opted for the dark oxtail stew. After the counterwoman returned with my chopped chicken, I topped it with only a responsible amount of jerk sauce.

Back at home, my jerk chicken was paired with a Fruit Punch Four Loko-- non-existent in Manhattan, but easily found at nearly every bodega in Bed Stuy. While a rich, smoky flavor had penetrated deep within the chicken, it was the spicy, sweet jerk sauce that caught my attention with its lingering heat. Not only that, but better than average macaroni puts JRS&A over the top. Instead of hot sauce, next time I'm going to slather everything in that addictive jerk sauce.

The following night I had almost the exact same meal at Ricky's just across the street. They claim that this is the grand opening, but from research on the internets it seems that there was a previous Ricky's in the area already, but I'm not enough of a Bed Stuy O.G. to know for sure. Oh well, all that matters is if the food is good.

To recreate the exact same laboratory conditions as the night before, I drank another Four Loko with my meal (watermelon this time, which was not as "good"). While Ricky's was cheaper ($6), the chicken didn't have the penetrating flavor of JRS &A. However, the chicken curry I chose to top my gravy with was thick and flavorful. Plus, its open 24 hours, so it will likely fulfill an intense 4 A.M. jerk chicken craving.

The search for great jerk chicken continues (likely this weekend), and more experimentation is needed. If anyone has any good recommendations, as always, I'd love to hear them.